Xylazine, a powerful veterinary tranquilizer, makes drug users who cross his path look undead. After wreaking havoc in major American cities, it was detected in Montreal.
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Nicknamed “tranq” or “zombie drug” when mixed with opioids like fentanyl or heroin, xylazine causes sores and eventually death of skin tissue. Symptoms that can lead to amputation if not treated quickly.
In Philadelphia, the largest city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, 90% of opioid samples tested in 2021 contained the drug normally used on horses, agency data shows. Substance Use Philadelphia. In New York City, xylazine, which has already been detected in 36 states south of the border, was found in 25% of samples tested in 2021, reports the New York Times.
Montreal not spared
Citing data from the Regional Public Health Department (DRSP) of Montreal, The Press revealed Thursday that xylazine was detected in 30% of 50 urine samples provided in a recent study by drug users who had consumed fentanyl or one of its derivatives.
The DRSP calls for vigilance.
Last July, the Canadian Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Addiction (CCENDU) issued an alert regarding the presence of xylazine in a small number of opioid samples tested in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and in Nova Scotia.
“It’s been a problem for a while in British Columbia and recently it’s increasingly present in Toronto, because there is an opioid supply corridor that connects the major cities on the east coast of the country. explains the director of the Cactus Montreal organization, Jean-François Mary.
The naloxone ineffective once morest xylazine
The arrival of xylazine in Montreal territory is worrying, since this substance can cause serious respiratory deficiencies, in addition to numerous cardiovascular problems.
Its presence in a mixture of already harmful substances might therefore aggravate the overdose crisis that is raging in the province. “We don’t know if we will be able to detect it before it causes overdoses,” worries Jean-François Mary.
The problem is that unlike opioids, naloxone does not reverse a xylazine overdose.
“That means that there will have to be a very rapid intervention by paramedics to bring the person to the hospital and save his life,” says the director of Cactus Montreal.
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A supply problem
Cutting drugs with dangerous products poses a constant threat to consumers.
As cutting products change according to the substances available and their costs, prevention or intervention methods are always lagging behind, explains Jean-François Mary.
“Overall, we see that overdose deaths are steadily increasing in the country. We thought we had reached a peak in 2018, but, ultimately, not at all, because we still have a major supply issue,” he underlines.
In this context, Jean-François Mary believes it is time to review our approach to drugs to ensure that criminal enterprises do not have a monopoly on supply in the country.
“It is certain that letting cartels and other gangs manage the supply of a product intended for human consumption is dangerous for the health of the population. We’ve tried a method of control for over 100 years and we’re seeing the effects now. We should perhaps think regarding something else, collectively,” he concludes.
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